Where do you think our sport will be in 25 years. I often sit back and wonder had I not put that rod down when I was 7 and picked up a football what would be different for me. So I�m curious where do you think bass fishing will be. I think about getting kids hooked early�. I wonder if more high schools will incorporate fishing into their athletic department. Maybe colleges will offer scholarships??? I know this is wishful thinking in that most things are geared/run by money. But hey how many of us might have a chance to be a good really good angler. Hear me out. I was pretty decent football player at the time and before blowing my knee out twice. I had some colleges looking at me...but did I think I was going to make it to the pros?.....ehhhhh I wanted to but I believed that even though I had a 4.4 40 benched 320 and had a vertical enough to at least grab the rim�. still thought Emmitt Smith, Mike Rozier, Irving Fryar, Barry Sanders, Herschel Walker (some of my favorite college running backs) all had me by leaps and bounds!! Hershel was my cousin and he said something to me one day that all ways stayed in the back of my mind. You think your�re good but every time you move up a level you find players just as good or better. My team went to the states on year and I was amazed! They had Linebackers running 4.6 40�s and a running back running a 4.3!!! Dam So the pro�s probably wasn�t going to happen for me. But might I have been able to compete with others in the Bassmasters or FlW had I not put that rod down. Don�t get me wrong I�m not talking away anything from any of the Pro�s. As the saying goes they are the man!! And while fishing is crazy expensive how many might have the skill with practice to at least compete�.. I say all this because after reading the post about the PAA and reading that �who wants to watch fishing�..I do! I still watch football to be amazed but watching fishing at this time it relates to me so much more. So where will our sport be in 25 years I ask?

If I'm not mistaken, there's a lot of Colleges giving scholarships now. There's also Bass Fishing in the High School levels. Man I was 25 years too late in High School..lol...So in 25 yrs I'm sure it'll be more wide spread no doubt. But time flys...When I was a kid my grandma told me by the time I get to drive, cars will be flying around...haha ....didn't happen.

All we can do is look back over the last 25 years and adding in the technology, you can very well get the picture and see the expense of Bass fishing in the future.

As far as the kids coming along in the sport; many companies are making this investment to see that they have the opportunities that we did not have growing up.

I feel like I did my part as a coach in Odessa for 25 years by running 500 kids through my fishing program in Physical Education each year. I have had more calls and contacts with kids about their fishing experiences over the years than I will ever have from all the football players that I coached.

So I guess I was more successful teaching fishing than coaching.

All we can do is look back over the last 25 years and adding in the technology, you can very well get the picture and see the expense of Bass fishing in the future.

As far as the kids coming along in the sport; many companies are making this investment to see that they have the opportunities that we did not have growing up.

I feel like I did my part as a coach in Odessa for 25 years by running 500 kids through my fishing program in Physical Education each year. I have had more calls and contacts with kids about their fishing experiences over the years than I will ever have from all the football players that I coached.

So I guess I was more successful teaching fishing than coaching.

money makes the fish bite,when I started bass fishing all it took was a $65.00 ambassadeur reel,red or black $40.00 finwick rod, Manns jelly worms, the little green box from Lowrance 9.5 motor, rented boat Now $50,000 boat $200.00 reel $200.00rod 1 for cranks 1for worms 1for swim baits 1 for c rig 1 for well you get the picture in 10 yrs who knows...........

Naah from what i've read from your post i'm sure you did both equally well. the main thing is you were there for them!